| [[File:|200px]]
|
| Role:
|
Property Master
|
| BSG Universe:
|
Re-imagined Series
|
| Date of Birth:
|
|
| Date of Death:
|
Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
|
[{{{site}}} Official Site]
|
| IMDb profile
|
Warning: Default sort key "Hawryliw, Ken" overrides earlier default sort key "Tobey, Kenneth".
Kenneth H. Hawryliw is the property master for the Re-imagined Series (with the exception of the Miniseries) and prequel series Caprica.
A nod to Hawryliw exists in the form of a label on a bottle of alcohol, which the character of Leon Grimes uses to strike Lee "Apollo" Adama in the head with in "Colonial Day". A second is given in "Retribution" when a personnel file for Lillian Teller lists Hawryliw Robotics Inc. as her previous employer.
Hawryliw is an industry veteran who works closely with the art department, costumers, and sets to ensure that props look right for the show.[1] His process begins with reading each script and compiling a list of items for each scene. Consulting with the director, he works out what the actors will do with each prop, which ultimately determines the level of detail and functionality required.[1]
Hawryliw explained his collaborative process: "We basically look at the scripted needs of whatever prop it is and try to work with the director and production designer to figure out what is needed from our end. If it is something that needs to be built, usually I will design it myself unless it is something really specific like a piece of Cylon technology... Then I defer to the art department to make sure it really ties in with the look that they are creating."[1]
The props department steers away from the polished science fiction look common to many sci-fi TV shows. "We want things to look different but familiar," Hawryliw stated. "It is a very interesting look for the show. It's unlike any other show that I have ever done in terms of using stuff anywhere from the 1930s to the present. It is a matter of retro-fitting those things to keep them familiar but also make them look like they come from a different place."[2]
Hawryliw credits production designer Harry Lange (who worked on Moonraker and 2001: A Space Odyssey) with instilling in him a cost-effective philosophy: "You can go out and buy an object for six dollars that would cost half a million in research and development to come up with that shape. Use somebody else's something else, and create a new thing."[3]
Notable Work on Battlestar Galactica
edit
Season 3 Cylon Basestar
edit
For Season 3's introduction of the Cylon Basestar, Hawryliw noted that from the props perspective, there wasn't very much to be done. "It's mostly just set decoration. For the few things that we have to do, we have gone for a very traditional, very neo-classical look for everything. It is very timeless," he explained. "It is so difficult to do sci-fi without it looking dated, so we took our clues from things from the past that have worked and are still around and aesthetically pleasing."[4]
Hawryliw described filming on the Basestar sets as "a welcome relief from the hectic schedule of filming on the Galactica and Pegasus sets," noting that scenes could be as simple as D'Anna Biers holding a folio full of drawings—though even this required the props department to create a custom folio from scratch when nothing available met their aesthetic standards.[4]
New Caprica Refugee Props
edit
Season 3's New Caprica arc required the props department to equip refugees with baggage that told personal stories. "The interesting thing is what would a person take with them when they've only got so much time and so many arms to carry things? You take food but you also take the clock your grandfather gave you or the rug by the hearth. It's interesting character stuff—you are creating backstory for these people," Hawryliw explained. He added, "As they say, 'God is in the details.' My job is to create details for every aspect of the show."[5]
While the look of the show was established in the Miniseries, guns weren't a big part of it initially. The props department had to redesign the armory, adding a range of weapons from handguns and rifles to specialty weapons.[6]
The Model 5.7 Colonial sidearm is based on a Belgian handgun that wasn't distributed in the United States and was originally designed for military and police use. "We were the first civilian group to actually purchase them anywhere in the world. The serial numbers are incredibly low," Hawryliw noted.[6]
The department also had to create weapons for the Colonial Marines that would be different from what the pilots have. "These are all functioning weapons. What we do, as a lot of movies do, is find an existing weapon and modify it to make it look different."[6]
Document Props and Authenticity
edit
One of Battlestar Galactica's ubiquitous props are paper files handed between characters and studied in detail. "We try to make these as authentic as possible rather than just putting photocopied gibberish in the actors' hands," Hawryliw explained. "Not just because the camera may see it and viewers catch a glimpse of it, but also for the sake of the actors: at the very least, it is not helpful to the actor if it is not right and at worst it is distracting and takes them out the scene for a second."[7]
Hawryliw emphasized that attention to detail is vitally important in modern television production. "Twenty years ago, the adage was, 'Close enough for TV.' You can't get away with that now because people expect to see feature films quality on television shows. I used to say it on The X-Files and it certainly applies to this show: we are doing a feature film every day."[8]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Tom Reeve (October/November 2006). "Found Objects". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 26-27.
- ↑ Tom Reeve (October/November 2006). "Found Objects". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 26.
- ↑ Tom Reeve (October/November 2006). "Found Objects". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tom Reeve (October/November 2006). "Found Objects". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 27.
- ↑ Tom Reeve (October/November 2006). "Found Objects". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Tom Reeve (October/November 2006). "Found Objects". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 27.
- ↑ Tom Reeve (October/November 2006). "Found Objects". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 27.
- ↑ Tom Reeve (October/November 2006). "Found Objects". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 27.
Warning: Default sort key "Kobett, Kenneth" overrides earlier default sort key "Hawryliw, Ken".
Kenneth Kobett, C.A.S. (also credited as Ken Kobett or Kenneth R. Kobett) is a re-recording mixer and sound editor who worked on the Re-imagined Series and Caprica. With over 150 television and film credits spanning multiple decades, Kobett is a three-time Emmy Award winner known for his expertise in sound effects mixing and innovative sound design.
Kobett's early television work includes serving as a utility crew member on Camp Midnite in 1989[1] and re-recording mixer work on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman for CBS.[2] He also served as re-recording mixer on The Simpsons Season 10 episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken."[3]
Professional Partnership with Michael Olman
edit
Kobett formed a long-standing professional partnership with Michael Olman, with the two frequently working together as a re-recording mixer team. In their collaborations, Kobett typically handles sound effects mixing while Olman mixes dialogue.[4]
The duo's first major collaboration was on The Shield, where they worked together on Seasons 1 and 2.[4] They went on to work together extensively on 24, where Kobett and Olman replaced Rick Ash and Joe Earle after the series premiere.[5]
Kobett's work on 24 established him as an innovative sound designer. He is credited with creating the show's iconic ticking clock sound effect that appears at the beginning and end of each act, which became the series' signature audio trademark.[6]
Working alongside Olman, Kobett collaborated closely with sound designer and editor Jeffrey Whitcher, who created ambient sounds from his home studio and fed tracks to Kobett via FTP upload.[6] According to Kobett, Whitcher "cuts all the effects and backgrounds. He covers anything that comes up in spotting, and interjects his own thoughts and ideas about what is transpiring in a scene."[6]
The mixers on 24 worked under tight deadlines, completing mixes in just two nine-hour days—twelve hours total to mix 45 minutes of non-stop action.[6] The show was groundbreaking in being prepared specifically for 5.1 surround sound from its inception, with a dedicated boom channel and elements cut for surround play.[6] Original co-producer and director Stephen Hopkins specifically requested innovative sonic approaches, including using sound effects to overpower dialogue and music to convey emotion—techniques that were unconventional for television at the time.[6]
Battlestar Galactica
edit
Kobett joined the Battlestar Galactica sound team beginning with the Season 2 episode "Scattered," where he and Michael Olman replaced Kevin Burns and Todd Orr as re-recording mixers.[7]
Kobett worked on 39 episodes of Battlestar Galactica from 2005 to 2009,[8] and received an Emmy nomination alongside Olman for their work on the series finale "Daybreak, Part II" in 2009.[9] He continued his work on the franchise with the prequel series Caprica, working on 17 episodes from 2009 to 2010.[1]
Awards and Recognition
edit
Kobett's work has earned him significant industry recognition:
- Three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sound Mixing:
- Multiple Emmy nominations for 24 over seven consecutive years[5]
- Emmy nomination for 24: Redemption[5]
- Emmy nomination for Battlestar Galactica: "Daybreak, Part II"[9]
- HPA Award (shared win) for Outstanding Sound – Television for American Gods episode "The Bone Orchard" (2017), working alongside Bradley North, Joseph DeAngelis, David Werntz, and Tiffany S. Griffith at Technicolor – Hollywood[11]
- HPA Award nomination for American Gods episode "The Bone Orchard" (2017)[12]
In 2022, Kobett joined Sony Pictures Post Production Services alongside re-recording mixer Vicki Lemar, with whom he had been working as a team for four years.[13] The partnership's credits include the television series Riverdale, Yellowjackets, Roar, and American Horror Story.[13]
At Sony Pictures, Kobett and Lemar are based in Dub Stage 12, a facility upgraded with Dolby Atmos features and equipped with a dual 48-fader Avid S6 console.[13] Their first projects at the studio included You for Netflix and The Crossover for Disney+.[13] They are joined by their long-time mix technician Eric Huezo.[13]
Kobett has worked extensively on Riverdale (2019-2023, 71 episodes) as both re-recording mixer and supervising sound editor,[1] as well as the musical series Schmigadoon! (2019, 13 episodes) as re-recording mixer for effects.[1]
Additional notable credits include Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Dead Silence (2007), Lie to Me, Bosch, Manhunt, and The Office, for which he won a Cinema Audio Society Award alongside John W. Cook II for the episode "New Guys."[14]
USA
